Butchery & Muscle Profiling Demo: Mutton

Today, Americans are eating animals younger than ever. Beef is produced at a quickening pace with slaughter ages getting earlier and earlier. Pigs are slaughtered before a year old, as are lambs. Kid goat is the only thing you will see on a menu. What happens to all the older animals?

Adam Danforth will discuss the virtues of older animals, how working muscles render more flavor, the inverse relationship of taste and texture, and why we should be supporting farmers more by consuming their older and cull animals. This workshop will include a rundown of meat science and how we experience it as deliciousness, all the while breaking down an older animal into primals and cuts. Danforth takes an in-depth look into the biological processes that affect the flavor and qualities of the meat we eat. Onsite cooking demos will demonstrate techniques to maximize the flavor of these complex meats and discusses the role chefs can play in driving market demand for these new products. A blind tasting will allow participants to explore varying tastes and textures, followed by in-depth discussion of each muscle cut.

About the organizers:

Adam Danforth is the James Beard and IACP award-winning author of two books, published by Storey Publishing, about slaughtering and butchering livestock. He teaches workshops and lectures nationwide for venues such as Stone Barns Center for Agriculture and the James Beard Foundation Chefs Boot Camp. Adam lives in Ashland, OR.